Winless and coming off a heart-wrenching loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Miami Dolphins look like a team comprised of trampled players and battered egos.

Your Charger fantasy players should blow up, right?

Well, as Takeo Spikes so eloquently put on Wednesday: “Maybe you should ask yourself, ‘What does an 0-3 team look like?’ ”

Good Question.

Fortunately, it doesn’t really matter for fantasy owners. It’s all about the matchups, and those of you who have Ryan Mathews or Mike Tolbert can expect big numbers.

With injuries plaguing the Chargers’ top receiving threats, the emphasis could well be on the running backs. Despite being limited on Wednesday and missing practice yesterday, Mathews will play and be a central focus in the game plan. He’s gotten progressively better in each of his first three games and showed last week that he can carry the load as a No. 1 back. However, Mike Tolbert will be at full strength and should resume his role in third down and red zone situations. Regardless, the banged up receiving corps suggests the two of them will be an integral part of the game plan Sunday.

That said, one thing to consider is that Miami’s defense has played better against the run than the pass. Opponent running backs have managed just one touchdown against the Dolphins, although they’ve averaged 107.4 rushing yards per game. Miami has also been tough against the screen, a key component the Chargers utilize. They’ve allowed a measly 64 yards receiving and 10 receptions to running backs this season.

I don’t necessarily see this being the case on Sunday. Generally speaking, the Dolphins have not played well against the pass, and they haven’t faced a dual-threat like Mathews and Tolbert. Considering the injuries to the Chargers main receivers, it’s a safe bet that Mathews and Tolbert will be very active rushing and receiving.

Miami has allowed 957 passing yards this season, third-most in the league. Although the majority of that came against New England, they’re tied for last with eight touchdown passes allowed. Five of those have been to receivers and three to tight ends, both of which are good for first- and second-most in the league. Unless the Chargers fall behind early -- and there’s always the chance they will -- don’t expect Philip Rivers to have a monster passing game. He’s good for a touchdown or two and will likely find one of the running backs or tight end Randy McMichael in the end zone.

It’s all but certain Antonio Gates won’t play on Sunday and as a result, the Chargers will use McMichael and Kory Sperry. McMichael figures to see a bunch of looks from Rivers and will be an active receiving threat. The veteran tight end had a solid game last week against the Chiefs and was big on third down passing. If you managed to pick him up before the waiver deadline, he could be a sleeper. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rivers looks for him in the red zone like he does with Gates.

In spite of missing practice time this week, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd should play this weekend. They won’t be one-hundred percent and I doubt they’ll have big games, but they should see some action against Miami. As a number one wideout, it’s still safe to go with Jackson. However, if you are thinking of starting Floyd, only do so if you don’t have a better option. As I said, the focal point will be getting the running backs involved early and often, and I don’t think he’ll get the looks worthy of a start this week.

While Jackson’s targets won’t change, Floyd could see some of his throws going to Patrick Crayton. Teams have defended the Chargers well against the deep pass, and as a slot receiver who runs shorter routes Crayton could see increased production. San Diego is one of three teams that hasn’t had a pass of 40 yards or more this year, and as I said earlier in the week, if you play in a deeper league, Crayton might be valuable as a third wide receiver or flex option.

Miami’s strength on offense is its running game. Rookie Daniel Thomas has emerged as the number one back and has averaged five yards a carry on 41 attempts in his first two starts. He’s nursing a hamstring injury, however, and the signing of Steve Slaton shows how concerned Miami is. Regardless, no Dolphins running back has rushed for a touchdown this season. Quarterback Chad Henne has thrown four touchdown passes and has the only rushing touchdown. Their offense has weapons – remember that Dolphins wideout Brandon Marshall caught 18 passes against the Chargers when he was with Denver in 2008 -- but they’ve yet to click in either phase.

Like the Chargers, the Dolphins have problems scoring in the red zone. They’ve managed just five touchdowns in 13 trips inside the 20 this season and are consequently 27th in the league in points scored. If the Chargers defense doesn’t find a way to shut Miami down, start looking elsewhere for a defense. The potential upside isn’t worth the wait after four games in the fantasy season.

If the Chargers offense has a tough time finishing drives, Nick Novak will have some opportunities to show fantasy owners what he’s worth. That could very well be the case against Miami. If he produces, he might be worth looking into based on future opponents.